1. What is the nature of God: personal, impersonal, both equally, or is one of the two primary?

God is only personal or impersonal in relation to a consciousness immersed in the duality of samsara. God is beyond the two, just as God is beyond samsara. So those in samsara will consider God either personal or impersonal, and being samsarins will no doubt wrangle with or disdain one another for holding a wrong view. Those who have gone beyond duality will be beyond personal/impersonal, and will keep silence–just as does Brahman.

2. What is the nature of spiritual practice/sadhana/yoga?

The only purpose of yoga sadhana is to realize the Self, both the individual and cosmic, the jivatman and the Paramatman. Therefore it must be exclusively adhyatmic in nature. A Brief Sanskrit Glossary defines adhyatmic: “pertaining to the Self (Atma), individual and Supreme.” A practice centered on an external “god” such as Shiva, Durga, Ganesha, etc., which is really only a symbol or portrayal of one or more aspects of God, or on an avatar such as Rama and Krishna, is by its and their nature partial and therefore limited and cannot lead to Self-realization and liberation in the Infinite. Gods and avatars only exist for us in samsara. Parabrahman, the Supreme, is beyond samsara and cannot be revealed through concentration or worship on either gods or avatars. To realize God we must get beyond all that which God is beyond.

3. Is meditation on OM and pranayama sufficient?

Since sadhana must be adhyatmic, the meditation and japa of Om, which involves observation of the breath (which is the highest pranayama), is both sufficient and essential. Patanjali says very clearly: “Its japa and meditation is the way” (Yoga Sutras 1:28). [Read more…]

Q: What exactly is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which cannot be forgiven?

First we should look at the Bible references to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit:

“All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matthew 12:31-32, Luke 12:10).

The word translated “blasphemy” is blasfemia, which means to villify and rave against someone–even to curse and defame them. Intense hatred of the target is implied, also. The word translated “forgive” is afiemi, which means to banish, leave behind, omit, remit. It implies separation from, cessation or reversal. So this means to hate and work or speak against something and for the slate not to ever be wiped clean or the penalty cancelled.

Karma not to be neutralized

In a nutshell: whoever actively and intentionally defames or denounces the action of the Holy Spirit will suffer the consequences, the negative karma–not that they will be damned forever, but that they will absolutely pay off the karmic debt they created by their negativity.

All other karma can be neutralized by positive words and deeds, but not that karma, for it is self-destruction.

How do we blaspheme the Holy Spirit? It is not doing or speaking evil of a saint or master, because Jesus says: [Read more…]

To a friend who wrote concerned about derogatory things being spoken about some people who, being departed from this world, had no defence.

Not only are falsehoods spread, but so are faults in understanding. I want to tell you about one I myself encountered.

Before I went to see the great Master Shivananda, a very serious and good sadhaka, Brahmachari Haridas who was living at the Yogoda Math in Dakshineswar, told me that letters were being sent from Sivanandashram with the signature of Sivananda that he did not really write. This was told to me in all sincerity and as a caution for me to not think everyone in Sivanandashram was fully honest.

Here is the actual situation I found out.

Sivananda was incredibly busy with people coming day and night seeking his blessing, help and advice. His very advanced disciple, Swami Venkateshananda, would sit in his room with a typewriter and as Sivananda spoke with people in another part of the ashram he would at the same time psychically dictate letters to Venkateshananda who would type them out and bring them to Sivananda who would sign them. The situation showed the yogic capacities of both guru and disciple. But it can easily be understood that people might not understand the truth of it.

As Swami Brahmananda, the great disciple of Sri Ramakrishna used to say: “Just see the fun!”

Q: What is your perspective on the possible correspondences between the Holy Trinity and the human trinity of body, soul and spirit?

Our eternal spirit which is one with the Father “is” the father in our trinity. The higher bodies which reflect the spirit correspond to the Son, and the lower bodies correspond to the Holy Spirit, the Energy of creation.

However, the analogy is more symbolic than accurate. The Father aspect of us is our spirit’s transcendental nature, the Son is our spirit’s immanent, incarnate nature, and the energy bodies, our evolving energies in which our spirit is incarnate, are the Holy Spirit.

And all are one. As we move toward perfection, our bodies become increasingly refined until they are assumed into our spirit. For nothing but spirit has ever really existed.

This assumption is symbolized by the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, but all the mythologies and superstitions concerning that event have obscured its meaning.

Q: Only God IS. I AM THAT. I AM BRAHMAN. MY FATHER AND I ARE ONE. How do the teachings of Advaita, Veda, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana fit with St. Thomas Christianity? Western Christianity? Eastern Orthodoxy? Catholicism?

The vital question is, how do those religious expressions fit with Sanatana Dharma? The degree of their agreement with Dharma is the degree of their validity. Dharma is the touchstone of all religious philosophy and practice.

The healings and miracles of Christ have been done by yogis before Christ and after. What does this mean and are these siddhis part of St. Thomas Christianity?

The meaning of Jesus’ miracles is simply that he, too was a yogi–and more, a perfectly realized master, an avatar. Since real Saint Thomas Christianity is the Sanatana Dharma taught by Jesus, certainly those siddhis have manifested. The pinnacle of the church in India was Saint Gregorios of Parumala, whose shrine is visited by thousand of Christians, Hindus and Moslems every day. His miracles are continuous. And Saint Gregorios was committed to the restoration of Dharma to the Saint Thomas Christian community.

Can a householder be a Saint Thomas Christian?

Certainly. Millions have been and are.

How can a St. Thomas Christian participate in Satsang?

That is a completely individual matter, but should not be limited to Christian groups.

Many believe Jesus taught in Kashmir and in fact is entombed in a Shrine in Kashmir. Some ancient Kashmiri texts point to Jesus in Kashmir, do you think this tomb is the tomb of Jesus?[Read more…]

Q: What is the most authentic document of Jesus’ teaching? The Gospel of Thomas? Are there others you would point to?

The Gospel of Thomas seems to be the most authentic. Certainly the four Gospels of the Bible contain his teachings, but mixed in with untrustworthy elements. Still, they should be read with the understanding that the sugar must be separated from the sand, as Sri Ramakrishna said about all scriptures. [Read The Gospel of Thomas for Awakeningon our website or in print.]

The Second Coming of Christ by Yogananda [Available for download on our E-library] is invaluable in understanding Jesus’ teachings, as is his autobiography and the books of his public talks [see our post A Yogi’s Recommended Reading List.]

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ is a remarkable document that does not claim to be infallible, but is also invaluable in understanding Jesus and the difference between THE Christ and A Christ. [Read online on our website and also The Aquarian Gospel for Awakening, a commentary.

In The Christ of India the quotation from the Bhavishya Mahapurana is short but certainly authentic. There we see what Jesus thought of the religion of his land of birth and his definite adoption of Sanatana Dharma. [Also available in print.] [Read more…]

About OCOY.org

This site presents the path of meditation and practical spiritual life and is a service of Light of the Spirit Monastery (Atma Jyoti Ashram), which is located in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, USA.

This site is inspired by and dedicated to Paramhansa Yogananda, who introduced yoga meditation and the goal of self realization to the American people, and whose writings reveal the underlying unity of original Christianity and original Yoga.